Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Smolensk and Kazan

For one person, living is cheaper in Smolensk: $1,068 a month against $1,192 in Kazan, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Smolensk
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Smolensk Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Kazan
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Kazan Living Index

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Smolensk

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,068

/mo nomad

Kazan

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,192

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Smolensk and in Kazan

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Smolensk and in Kazan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,068 in Smolensk versus $1,192 in Kazan.

Smolensk $1,068
Kazan $1,192

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,602 in Smolensk versus $1,852 in Kazan.

Smolensk $1,602
Kazan $1,852

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,137 in Smolensk versus $2,513 in Kazan.

Smolensk $2,137
Kazan $2,513

Living in Smolensk costs roughly 10% less than in Kazan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Smolensk 21% lower, Kazan 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.38 ₽867

$13.28 ₽1,108

-21.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.07 ₽2,677

$39.10 ₽3,263

-17.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.92 ₽577

$6.02 ₽503

14.95%

Cappuccino

$2.53 ₽211

$3.15 ₽263

-19.68%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.95 ₽79.6

$1.35 ₽113

-29.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 ₽46.12

$0.56 ₽46.36

-1.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.74 ₽145

$1.77 ₽148

-1.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 ₽248

$2.44 ₽204

21.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 ₽96.0

$1.14 ₽94.8

0.88%

White Bread (500g)

$0.76 ₽63.3

$0.69 ₽57.8

10.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 ₽114

$1.51 ₽126

-9.93%

Eggs

$1.53 ₽128

$1.51 ₽126

1.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.28 ₽942

$11.07 ₽924

1.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.13 ₽428

$4.45 ₽372

15.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.03 ₽921

$10.51 ₽877

4.95%

Apples (1kg)

$1.78 ₽149

$1.86 ₽155

-4.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 ₽154

$1.73 ₽144

6.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 ₽146

$1.84 ₽153

-4.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.72 ₽227

$3.10 ₽259

-12.26%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ₽68.3

$0.83 ₽69.4

-1.20%

Onion (1kg)

$0.56 ₽46.80

$0.56 ₽46.85

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 ₽108

$1.39 ₽116

-6.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 ₽56.3

$0.72 ₽59.7

-6.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.10 ₽259

$3.00 ₽250

3.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.18 ₽599

$7.71 ₽644

-6.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ₽81.5

$1.06 ₽88.3

-7.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 ₽156

$1.91 ₽160

-2.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.56 ₽47.15

$0.53 ₽44.21

5.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.74 ₽1,564

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.13 ₽178

$2.32 ₽194

-8.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ₽27.20

$0.56 ₽47.11

-41.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 ₽415

$7.30 ₽609

-31.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.84 ₽69.9

$0.86 ₽72.0

-2.33%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$32.4K ₽2.7M

$36.2K ₽3.0M

-10.51%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$34.7K ₽2.9M

$42.3K ₽3.5M

-17.86%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$135 ₽11.3K

$127 ₽10.6K

6.42%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$5.99 ₽500

$5.40 ₽451

10.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.07 ₽757

$7.21 ₽602

25.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.80 ₽2,654

$36.58 ₽3,053

-13.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.76 ₽1,983

$30.32 ₽2,531

-21.64%

Cinema Ticket

$6.34 ₽529

$6.59 ₽550

-3.79%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$338 ₽28.2K

$283 ₽23.6K

19.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,938 ₽579.0K

$6,559 ₽547.4K

5.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 ₽7,567

$93.1 ₽7,770

-2.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.4 ₽4,292

$90.6 ₽7,561

-43.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$132 ₽11.0K

$105 ₽8,726

26.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 ₽8,590

$76.5 ₽6,386

34.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$487 ₽40.6K

$683 ₽57.0K

-28.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$339 ₽28.3K

$426 ₽35.6K

-20.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$789 ₽65.8K

$1,107 ₽92.4K

-28.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 ₽44.0K

$777 ₽64.8K

-32.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,481 ₽207.1K

$4,273 ₽356.6K

-41.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,309 ₽109.2K

$2,332 ₽194.6K

-43.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$753 ₽62.9K

$956 ₽79.8K

-21.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

21.45

20.8

3.12%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Smolensk: October 12, 2026

Last update for Kazan: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Smolensk

$339 31.8%

Kazan

$426 35.8% 25.8% $87

Groceries & Markets

Smolensk

$204 19.1%

Kazan

$202 17% 0.7% $1.4

Clothing & Footwear

Smolensk

$170 15.9%

Kazan

$164 13.8% 3.2% $5.5

Eating Out

Smolensk

$155 14.5%

Kazan

$184 15.4% 18.5% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Smolensk

$150 14.1%

Kazan

$140 11.7% 7.1% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Smolensk

$44 4.2%

Kazan

$50 4.2% 11.9% $5.3

Getting Around

Smolensk

$6 * 0.6%

Kazan

$26 2.2% 332% $20

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $487 in Smolensk and $683 in Kazan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kazan pays 27% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $32.00 in Smolensk vs $39.00 in Kazan. Groceries flip the comparison at $204 vs $202, with Kazan cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Smolensk

🇷🇺 Kazan

🕒 Local time

02:24 2:24 AM

Same time as Smolensk

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

325,495

1,257,341

💱 Currency

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

100 RUB = 1.2 USD

100 RUB = 1.07 EUR

100 RUB = 1.2 USD

100 RUB = 1.07 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Smolensk Kazan 1,080 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Smolensk
Kazan

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Smolensk vs Kazan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Smolensk and Kazan differ by about 12% in total monthly costs ($1,068 vs $1,192 including rent). Smolensk is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 27% lower in Kazan. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $487 in Smolensk versus $683 in Kazan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Kazan pay roughly 1% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,068 per month in Smolensk versus $1,192 in Kazan – a 12% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,068 in Smolensk versus $1,192 in Kazan, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Smolensk but tight or insufficient in Kazan. The gap between the two cities makes Smolensk the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Smolensk and Kazan are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Smolensk gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Kazan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.